The present invention relates generally to flow rate gauges and in particular to a flow rate gauge adapted for use with an intravenous administration set.
One of the major advances in medical science in recent years has been the wide use of intravenous solutions for administering nutrients and medicaments to hospitalized patients. A continuing problem in this area, however, has been administering said solutions at a controlled rate in order to prevent undesired side effects. Several devices are presently available for administering intravenous solution at a controlled rate. The most common of these are roller clamp mechanisms affixed about a length of flexible tubing which extends from a solution container to an intravenous needle. A continuing difficulty has remained however, in measuring the rate of flow of liquid from the container.
Commonly known means of measuring flow may be seen in the following U.S. patents and publications:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,723--R. B. Engdahl--FLOW METER--Issued Apr. 13, 1948; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,041--R. D. Reed--APPARATUS FOR DEVELOPING DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURES IN A CONDUIT LINE--Issued June 20, 1967; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,637--Eugene B. Wolstenholme--DETECTION MEANS FOR GAS ENTERING HUMAN BLOOD SYSTEMS FROM EXTRACORPORIAL TUBING--Issued Aug. 5, 1975; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,737--John J. Miller--CONTROL VALVE FOR INFUSION SYSTEM--Issued Mar. 21, 1978; PA1 Brochure: Travenol Infusion Controller--Parenteral Products Division, Travenol Laboratories, Inc., Published March, 1979; PA1 The IVAC 230 Controller, IVAC Corporation, 11353 Sarentino Valley Road, San Diego, Calif.--June, 1979.
Despite the advances these patents and articles represent, a continuing problem exists in producing a low cost intravenous solution flow rate gauge which can easily and accurately measure the rate of liquid flow within an I.V. system.
Accordingly, it is an advantage of the invention to provide a low cost flow rate gauge for measuring liquid flow. It is an additional advantage of the invention to provide such a gauge which may be utilized with intravenous solutions. It is a further advantage of the invention to provide such a gauge which prevents the passage of air, bacteria or contaminants into an intravenous administration set.